photo: espn-ak.starwave.com
The Dunk! The Ram! The Slam! The Bong! Whatever you want to call it, it’s an art form, birthed on the playground, that has revolutionized the way the game is played. And no two teams, as collective units, were more responsible for furthering the evolution of the aerial game than Texas’ Tallest Fraternity and Louisville’s descendants of Dr. Dunkenstein.
It seems only fitting that they’d meet in the ‘83 Final Four, in a game that was so scintillating in its elevation that it prompted a courtside sportswriter to pass a note down press row that read, “Welcome to the 21st Century!”
During the three year span from 1982 through 1984, the University of Houston Cougars mentored the virginal eyes of millions who were accustomed to a more traditional, methodical interpretation of the game that were hallmarks of legendary championship coaches like John Wooden at UCLA and Adolph Rupp at Kentucky.
Ironically, one of Wooden’s coaching disciples, Denny Crum at the University of Louisville, would embrace the high-wire city game, which he rode to his first national title in 1980 behind the aerial acrobatics of Darrell Griffith, aka Dr. Dunkenstein, one of the modern era’s most influential and important showmen.
In ‘83, Crum had compiled a collection of awesome talent that, when merged on the same hardwood with the Houston Cougars in the Final Four, would package the asphalt aesthetic into the forty minute, nationally televised hoops equivalent of two Mike Tyson’s going blow for blow, trading non-stop haymakers up until the final bell.
Both teams bridged an expansive divide that connected the originator Elgin Baylor, the trailblazing American Basketball Association and the singular genuises of David Thompson, Darrell Griffith and Julius Erving – whose playground influenced displays of flamboyance in the rareified air waaaay above the rim unleashed a force that continues to reverberate – with an array of spokesmen such as Dwayne Wade, Kobe Bryant, Ryan “Special FX” Williams, Team Flight Brothers, LeBron, Kentucky’s freshman extraordinaire John Wall and numerous others.
The Dunk was instituted at Houston as a certifiable weapon by head coach Guy Lewis. It wasn’t something that happened organically. They practiced, preached and lived by the idea that the slam was the most efficient shot any team could take. In the Phi Slamma Jamma manual, athleticism trumped fundamentals and the freewheeling fast break trumped rigid, half-court offensive sets.
In ‘82, ‘83 and ‘84, Houston was a Final Four participant. In ‘82, they lost to UNC in the semi’s. Those Tar Heels boasted Sam Perkins and James Worthy. They also started a young freshman named Mike who would go on to accomplish a never seen before, worldwide marketing and merchandizing takeover due to his own stellar abilities that convinced everyday Joe’s that they could come fly with him.
In ‘83, “The ‘Ville” was a pedigreed program of national recruits. Denny Crum, who sat on the sidelines looking as cool as a fan, boasted the brothers from “Money Earnin’” Mount Vernon, Rodney and Scooter McCray, who could score and pass with equal aplomb. In the backcourt, Mississippi’s Lancaster Gordon formed an intimidating duo with Camden, New Jersey’s Milt Wagner (DaJuan Wagner’s Pops), both of whom shot over 50% and could explode in 20-point outbursts with regularity. The Cards other main weapon was freshman sensation Billy Thompson, Wagner’s former teammate at Camden High School.
photo of the ‘ville’s rodney mccray elevating against kentucky in the ‘83 regional final: bigbluehistory.net
Houston’s roster, on the other hand, was prepared with local ingredients, with two major exceptions. Hakeem Olajuwon was flown in from Lagos, Nigeria, and Benny Anders, an athletic freak of nature, was a native of Louisiana. The hometown cooking brought in Clyde Drexler, Michael Young, Alvin Franklin, Reid Gettys and Larry Micheaux.
The entertaining, see-saw battle was moving in Louisville’s direction as the game moved into the home stretch. And when Micheaux got his fifth foul, all signs pointed to a Houston victory. And then, this happened –
When the smoke cleared, Olajuwon’s transcendent 21 point, 22 rebound, 8 block masterpiece foreshadowed his remarkable transformation from raw prospect into “The Dream.” With both teams considered the top two in the country, it was a foregone conclusion that Phi Slamma Jamma, after their 94-81 victory over “The ‘Ville”, would drop NC State like a bad habit in the title game.
As a matter of fact, the other Final Four matchup between Georgia and the Wolfpack was considered the de-facto runner’s up game. But Jim Valvano managed to pull a rabbit out of his bag of tricks when my Brooklyn neighbor, Lorenzo Charles, rescued an air ball in the game’s final moments and delivered the winning dunk in an upset for the ages.
NC State’s shocking 52-50 victory and Charles’ conversion of Derrick Whittenburg’s desperation heave became the signature moment for, what is now, the multi-billion dollar bonanza known as March Madness. And it is the reason why the remarkable Final Four matchup that brought college basketball into the 21st century has faded into the obscurity of the national sporting consciousness.
But Phi Slamma Jamma and “The ‘Ville” in ‘83 was one of the most awe-inspiring, paradigm shifting displays of raw athleticism, speed, power and hops ever witnessed. It was a sustained, Usain Bolt-like sprint that transported us across time and space to the doorstep of today’s game.
December 15th, 2009 at 12:46 pm
illest says:
these college teams today would have no chance against those teams.
scoop jackson for some reason left out phi slamma jama in his nike book.
December 15th, 2009 at 12:59 pm
ali says:
not so sure about that illest. i think today’s teams would be alright. and how can you not include phi slamma jamma in the conversation about nike’s 30 plus year association with college ball?
December 15th, 2009 at 1:12 pm
illest says:
the x factor is akeem, ali. none of todays college teams have that type of player.
i dont know what scoop was doing forgetting them in the 30 year nike book.
December 15th, 2009 at 1:40 pm
ali says:
no doubt. the college game hasn’t seen an athletic center of that caliber in a loooong time. but even without that element, the ‘96 kentucky wildcats could’ve given them a go. if you wanna bring it up a little more current, i’ll also throw in the recent florida and unc championship teams as well. no akeem, but dominant and a pleasure to enjoy.
December 15th, 2009 at 1:53 pm
funkalot says:
The most entertaining college game ever. When Benny Anders circled out Charles Jones and delivered the uglies, I had achieved Nirvana.
Other favorite tilts include:
‘77 – Vegas vs. the Ville (Theus, Gondrezick, Owens, smiths) vs. (Cox, Gallon, Bond and Griffith)
‘90 – Ga Tech vs. LSU (Chibbs, Oliver D-Scott) vs. (Shaq, Roberts and Chris Jackson)
‘90 – Ga Tech vs. UNLV (the usual suspects)
‘89 and ‘90 UNLV vs. Loyola-Marymount (Augmon, Johnson, anthony, Hunt) vs. (Kimble, Gathers, Fryer and Lowery)
Classic games. In one of the battles, Anderson Hunt circled out and tommied on Hank Gathers, was eerily remiscent of the Benny Anders on Charles Jones.
I could not find the YouTube footage of that dunk, maybe some of y’all can find it. Simply, nasty.
December 15th, 2009 at 2:15 pm
ali says:
aw sugar honey iced tea funk! you took me there with your list. i often walk around with that anderson hunt dunk dancing through my consciousness. sometimes, i’m having conversations with people or sitting in business meetings, nodding my head, acting like i’m really listening, but the whole time i’m seeing kenny and mahmoud, unlv loyola-marymount, the lethal weapon III against grandmama, g anthony, the plastic man, etc. and the whole time, i’m giggling on the inside, alone in my hoop thoughts. if they only knew, or could diagnose my particular affliction. alright, let me come back to earth.
slightly off topic, but my man jonny flynn did the dizzle last night leading the wolves over the jazz. but my goodness gracious, deron williams needs to be playing in a major market. 38 joints and 13 dimes? c’mon man, he’s toying with the league.
hey, mr allen iverson had a nice lil’ 20 points on some high percentage shooting, along with a handful of assists last night.and i know his numbers are down but i still tune in to watch tj ford, love his energy and jets. it’s a lil’ guy thing.
dwight howard ripped 23 boards. and i know he needs to round out his arsenal and get some more offensive weaponry, but as raw as he still is, he’s a monster. if he does add to his repertoire, my goodness!
and i know they’re struggling to tread water but i like memphis. and as long as jason kidd can walk, dude can play. still has the amazing quality to be a premier performer without scoring. and just another night at the office for durant, 32 points 10 boards against denver in the loss. and when will antawn jamison get the national respect he’s deserved for a very long time. watching the wizards, i’m still cramming to understand why they got rid of eddie jordan.
December 15th, 2009 at 3:03 pm
illest says:
college back in the day….wow. how about that arkansas vs. unlv game? or the lsu vs. marymount?
kidd is definitely timeless out there.
that 96 kentucky team would of won 3 straight for sure if everyone stayed.
December 15th, 2009 at 3:08 pm
illest says:
how about walls dunk on indiana? i know im mad critical of players. but to see a guy get the ball at half court with his right hand and take one dribble to the left and dunk from the dots is straight year 2020 type ish. why havent the powers that be on this site havent posted footage of that?
December 15th, 2009 at 3:16 pm
ali says:
i was planning to do a separate “The Dunk” entry solely dedicated to Mr. Wall a lil’ further down the road.
December 15th, 2009 at 3:32 pm
illest says:
ali…son that dunk deserves a separate one. the body control and the use of one dribble and two steps with the left hand finish is unexplainable. when is the last time you have seen that?
December 15th, 2009 at 6:13 pm
funkalot says:
Illest,
You hit upon something. That ‘96 Kentucky team was ridiculous. They are definitely an underrated team, as they had 9 players get drafted. Are you serious, think about that 9 out of a roster of 12 made pro. They should have won 3 chips in a row and won two in three years with two different coaches. Good look.
Oh, John Wall is uncanny. He actually dunks better lefthanded than right handed, which is his strong hand. Peep the left handed banger at the Elite 24 a couple of years back, as he shook down Durand Scott. Who, by the way is having a solid first year at the “U”, with
Malcolm Grant.
D-Will or CP3? I might have to take D-Will right now. J-Kidd second best lead guard behind Magic, all-time. So, I am a fan of the off the path squads – OKC, Memphis, Milwaukee and Minnesota.
This the best b-ball site on the web hands down. Keep em coming and funky , ALi. Bounce is sh… , shut yout mouf!
December 15th, 2009 at 7:15 pm
ali says:
you ain’t never lied funk. we keeps it funky up in here, like big foot’s bootie, nah’mean?
December 15th, 2009 at 7:18 pm
ali says:
alright illest, i’ll present the wall dunk on indiana to the masses, courtesy of you, in the near future.
December 15th, 2009 at 7:36 pm
Ryan Mendez says:
Ali, great article. That Benny Anders video was sick. It’s hard to believe those guys were in college.
December 15th, 2009 at 9:18 pm
Blk Caesar says:
Yo Illest.. I completely forgot about that Arkansas vs. Vegas game.. That was huge b/c all season everybody talked about that game.. Arkansas had Todd Day, Lee Mayberry, and Oliver Miller and Nolan Richardson’s 40 minutes of hell vs. those Vegas boys… I think the final score was like 112-105… I am surprised nobody talks about that 1993 Michigan(fab 5) vs. UCLA game in the NCAA tourney.. The fab 5 was down 19 came back to force overtime and Jimmy King’s put-back to win it 84-86.. Even the Michigan vs. Kentucky Final four game that same year(again overtime) was crazy.. Mashburn and young-ins Rodrick Rhodes and Tony Delk from that 1996 Kentucky team..
December 15th, 2009 at 9:19 pm
Blk Caesar says:
Can you tell I really liked the Fab 5 back in the day…
December 16th, 2009 at 10:02 am
illest says:
ali…the dunk just stands out to me more than most dunks since he only used one dribble.
funk….ive always liked d-will better. but its preference. you cant go wrong with either one.
December 16th, 2009 at 10:37 am
ali says:
you cease,
i loved the fab five as well. the college game might never see that again. yeah, they never won it all, but find me five freshman that can run all the way to the championship game, then do it the next year as sophomores. people don’t really understand how incredible they were and the give proper respects to their accomplishments. i might have to rewing “the Playground Gave Us The Fab Five” joint.
and ooooohhhhhhwwweeeeeeeeee! that arkansas- unlv joint was bananas.
and ay yo ryan mendez, thanks for chiming in. it’s ironic that you join the discourse because you played on that stanford team that almost knocked the ‘98 kentucky wildcats out of the Final Four. i believe you were banging in close to 50% of your three’s that year. now that’s bananas! quick question for you, i know you competed against kobe at the ABCD camp, but who was that one dude that you played against in college that you still shake your head when you think about today.
December 16th, 2009 at 11:14 am
ali says:
random observations from last night -
the nets are bums, but brook lopez will be taking this horrendous season to the bank. he’s putting up some ill numbers. and my new york guys, please fill me in. was that jonathan bender on the knick sideline?
if gerald wallace was playing in a major market, he’d be getting crazy love. and the peripatetic larry brown is showing why he’s one of the best coaches around. he wears out his welcome everywhere he goes but he gets the most of the least better than most guys. charlotte has impressed me with their competitiveness while hovering around that .500 mark.
i’m happy that mcgrady saw the court again and hope he can work his way back to form. and speaking of the rockets, aaron brooks is that dude! love what he brings, as exemplified by his textbook floor generalship w/ 23 points and 10 assists. at $1 mil, he’s the best bargain in the league. and chase budinger is really adding to that rocket equation. and let’s be real, did anyone really think they’d be standing where they are right now, minus t-mac and yao. rick adelman is a heckuva coach, so under-appreciated.
also happy for mike beasely, who seems to be putting his bizarre summer behind him with his production on the court. nice 28 and 10 last night. and what was all the noise about kobe being hurt? he didn’t look hurt to me last night, w/ his kobe-esque 42. how ’bout joakim’s 20 boards. he’s relentless and is showing some real heart.
i’ve been worried about timmy slipping, but he messaged those fears somewhat w/ his 34 and 14 last night. and i really think we’re taking steve nash for granted w/ all the chris paul, deron williams and rookie pg talk. nash, 25 and 13 dimes, and amare,28 and 14 boards, are like pancakes and syrup.
and when are people gonna start putting lamarcus alridge in that upper tier. that young fella just quietly goes about his work. which he’s doing extremely well, i must add. and the big young fella from rider, jason thompson, is a nice one-two punch along w/ rookie sensation tyreke the freak in sacramento. portland management gets crazy props b/c they just keep it moving despite the injury setbacks. they have a fantastic young core w/ b roy, bayless and alridge. if oden can stay healthy and give them that double-double, man!
December 16th, 2009 at 1:35 pm
illest says:
bender is a knick. i thought his career was over due to his knee ailments.
the fab five will never be duplicated…to be college teenagers and be revolutionary is incredible. they didnt win (true) but who cares?
that bryant first quarter….its just a pleasure to watch the game being played like that. good for noah improving on his game. not living off his dads fame and becoming a basketball player that needs to be checked. he made that chicago sports writer eat his column with salsa.
LB, the basketball nomad, is the true definition of a coach. he can make anyone or team better. kansas shouldnt of won in 88. the clippers in the playoffs? only he could do that. he made the pacers a prominent team. his pistons swept the lakers in 5 and if billups shows up in the 4th in san antonio they go back to back.
December 17th, 2009 at 2:15 pm
ali says:
we’ve had some thriller’s in the modern era as well, maybe not to that extent of athleticism on display. but some great ones of recent vintage that stand out in my mental archive are the syracuse/uconn 6 ot thriller at the garden in the big east tourney, kansas’ comeback against d-rose and cdr in the ‘08 title game w/ chalmer’s three, louisville’s rally back from 20 points in the ‘05 elite eight, the gonzaga/michigan state joint in maui when adam morrison went off for 40+, the kevin durtant masterpiece in 3 ot’s against oklahoma state even though texas lost and the battles between duke and maryland in ‘01 when jay williams and juanny dixon were showing some pernell whitaker ring generalship, just to name a few.
January 14th, 2010 at 2:19 pm
Luigi Fulk says:
Great information! Thanks!
February 3rd, 2010 at 1:56 am
puma USA says:
bender is a knick. i thought his career was over due to his knee ailments.
the fab five will never be duplicated…to be college teenagers and be revolutionary is incredible. they didnt win (true) but who cares?
that bryant first quarter….its just a pleasure to watch the game being played like that. good for noah improving on his game. not living off his dads fame and becoming a basketball player that needs to be checked. he made that chicago sports writer eat his column with salsa.
LB, the basketball nomad, is the true definition of a coach. he can make anyone or team better. kansas shouldnt of won in 88. the clippers in the playoffs? only he could do that. he made the pacers a prominent team. his pistons swept the lakers in 5 and if billups shows up in the 4th in san antonio they go back to back.